Nobody's Home
by Mme.Lolabelle
Summary: Request for Nicki1147.  Songfic to Avril Lavigne's Nobody's Home.   A blond haired Lord remembers a time when the tyrant Phobos was a different person, and explores what value he puts on loyalty and seeing things through to the end. CedricPhobos friendshi


**Nicki1147 asked me for a Cedric/Phobos friendship fic and here it is. Apart from a few paragraphs in Pain of the Heart, I rarely write from Cedric's POV, so thats what I did with this. I think I managed to keep everyone in character, but I'm not sure. I've had bit of writer's block reacently, but I'm pulling out of it (at long last). My friend Lana suggested doing a songfic and well...I think you can figure out the rest. **

**For anyone reading Pain of the Heart, I've got the next chapter started, but as I said, writers block shudders anyway, I'll have it up a.s.a.p.**

**I don't own W.i.t.c.h or the song.**

**Note- I've changed all the "She's" and "her's" to "him's" and "her's" and I've repeated the chorus at the end.**

There was something in the air, something sinister that whipped around my men and I as we rode back to the castle. Many of them were injured, but as usual, I turned a blind eye to it. The evening was cold, the wind kept trying to tug my hair out of it's ponytail and clouds were hiding what light was left. It had rained earlier in the day and the ground was muddy and soft below our horses hooves, slowing down our journey. A happy coincidence, because I could tell that most of the men were dreading the arrival at Phobos's castle.

I couldn't see much in the dimming light, but my ears were as sharp as ever, more so than a normal man's (a gift attributed to my ability to shape shift). Several of the soldiers were grumbling, unaware that I could hear them. Phrases like "suicide trip" "They knew we were coming" and "might as well kill ourselves here" washed over me. I tried to tune them out, I had my own doubts and fears, without them adding to it. Phobos was going to be angry, no, _furious_.

"_I couldn't tell you why he felt that way,  
He felt it everyday.  
And I couldn't help him,  
I just watched him make the same mistakes again.  
What's wrong, what's wrong now?  
Too many, too many problems.  
Don't know where he belongs, where he belongs."_

Outbursts of temper from the prince were always common. Even when he was a child, he would throw something (or someone) into a wall or to the floor if he didn't get his way. But those were, at the beginning at least, rare. I have known the Prince all his life, I grew up watching over him, as my mother had watched over his mother. There's a seven year age difference between Phobos and I, though you wouldn't guess it now. At one time, he was more like a younger brother to me than anything. I'd play with him, protect him, help to him with his lessons, sometimes correcting his mistakes, sadly, those days are long gone.

Part of me wishes I could correct his mistakes now. Not change what he's done, I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably as evil as he is. But his plan, his ways of working have so many flaws. And when he fails, he simply sinks further into the pit of anger and hate. If I had of been in his shoes, I would not have threatened Elyon when she was born. Make her a figure head, a puppet monarch until her powers reach their peak, but don't try to kill her immediately. Because Phobos let his impatient nature take over, we're in the huge mess we are now.

And his draining the power from Meridian itself... that's a disaster waiting to happen. I warned him at the time that it's power supply would only be temporary and that it would make the powers he was born with unstable. But as I predicted, he wouldn't listen. He never did. It's a quality the betrays his desire to look mature and in-control, every to often, some childish tendency slips out from behind the mask.

"_He wants to go home, but nobody's home.  
It's where he lies, broken inside.  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry his eyes.  
Broken inside."_

"_Cedric?" An eight year old Phobos asked. The weary teenager looked up from his book to survey the prince with his violet eyes, as usual, Phobos felt as if Cedric could see right through him, it was a quality his friend had that made him severely uncomfortable. "Yes?" Cedric replied, his cool voice not betraying how annoyed he was that he had been interrupted. "If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would it be?" Cedric raised an eyebrow,_

"_Why?"_

"_Just."_

"_Well, I suppose I'd like to go to a remote world, where there were no other people," Cedric answered._

"_Why?" Cedric smirked,_

"_So there'd be no princes to interrupt me when I'm reading."_

"_Oh, do you want to know were I'd go?" Realising that if he wanted to have any hope of finishing the book he was reading before he was fifty, Cedric put the book down and said, "All right, were would you if you could go anywhere in the universe?"_

"_Well, I don't know if it's an actual place or not,"Phobos started, biting his lip worriedly, "but I saw a picture of it, it was really pretty there were clouds and there was a palace in the sky and everyone was smiling." Phobos had a dreamy look on his face and Cedric felt a smile slipping on to his face. "That sounds like Kandracar, the Centre of Infinity," Cedric told him. A quizzical look passed over Phobos face. "Kandracar?" _

"_You know, if you read more, you'd know what Kandracar is," Cedric said. When Phobos just smiled sheepishly Cedric sighed and continued, "Imagine that all the worlds were in a circle, and Kandracar's in the centre. The wisest people form all the worlds live there and help the Oracle make decisions about the universe." _

"_Oracle?" Kandracar help his teachers, Cedric thought._

"_The Oracle is an all-knowing all-powerful being, he's lord of Kandracar."_

"_Is he good-looking?" Phobos asked. _

"_I don't know, why?" Cedric answered._

"_'Cause I think lords should be good-looking," Phobos said earnestly. Cedric grinned evilly,_

"_Well, that poses a slight problem for you, doesn't it?"_

"_Hey, That's not funny!"_

"_Open your eyes and look outside, find the reasons why.  
You've been rejected, and now you can't find what you left behind.  
Be strong, be strong now.  
Too many, too many problems.  
Don't know where he belongs, where he belongs."_

I chuckled, Phobos was always inquisitive, but rarely willing to open a book to find out the answers to his questions. How things have changed. Now he spends hours in the library, looking for ways to further his power.

Yes, things have changed, that child no longer exists. Just like the boy who had teased him and taught him. We've both changed immeasurably.

If I want something, I'll fight and connive until I get it, rarely taking the feelings of others into account. But I wouldn't have guessed that Phobos would become something similar. I say similar, but his appetite for destruction is greater than mine. If he had controlled his anger, would all this have happened? Perhaps his mother should have attempted to change the law, maybe she should have asked him to watch over Elyon, instead of forcing him out of the picture. Maybe the people of Meridian shouldn't have been prejudiced against him because he was male, if they'd tried to work with him instead of rejecting him. Kandracar could have forced the queen to change Meridian's biased laws, Oracle can see the future, how could he not have foreseen this? Or perhaps I made the mistakes. Did the dark parts of my personality show through when I was with him and did Phobos follow my example? I'm not a caring person, but the thought that an entire world could be suffering because of you does tend to generate a bit of guilt.

"_He wants to go home, but nobody's home.  
It's where he lies, broken inside.  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry his eyes.  
Broken inside."_

Most of the soldiers have fallen quiet. We can see the top towers of the castle now. Fear has been swirling around us for the entire journey. By now it's settled comfortably in everyone's stomach, like a sleeping dragon. But when we enter the castle the dragon will wake and make the fear more intense.

Soldiers are always punished when they fail and normally I wouldn't bat an eyelid. But now I have the same threat hanging over me. Phobos' angry words have been replaying in my mind constantly. _"Cedric, I can't give you any more chances."_

"_But my lord-"_

"_No, if you fail to kill the guardians, I'll kill you myself."_

"_His feelings he hides.  
His dreams he can't find.  
He's losing his mind.  
He's fallen behind.  
He can't find his place.  
He's losing his faith.  
He's fallen from grace.  
He's all over the place."_

In the odd moments when I'm at my most sensitive, it hurts to watch Phobos with Elyon. He acts like a loving brother. It makes my stomach twist uncomfortably. I once thought, in a time that feels like it might have been millennia ago, that I pretended to care about Phobos, just as Phobos is pretending to care about Elyon.

I had to serve him, for centuries my family have been the protectors of the royal family. There was always a pair, Phobos and I, my mother and Phobos' mother, my grandmother and his, so it has always been. I resented it. I had had to grow up prematurely and take on mounds of responsibility. For years I wondered why my family served the royal family so devoutly, even blindly. Why they so often put the royals above their own kin. Then when Phobos was nine, he fell dangerously ill and the physicians doubted that he would last the night. I remember praying to whatever deity was listening that if the prince survived I would do everything in my power to make sure that no harm came to Phobos again. It took a near death experience for me to realise that I loved the young prince like a brother.

"_He wants to go home, but nobody's home.  
It's where he lies, broken inside.  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry his eyes.  
Broken inside."_

I'm afraid. I no longer know Phobos like I once did. Anger, hate and desire rule him. All I know is that he is capable of anything, good or bad. Even now, my fate could be sealed. Phobos will know of our failure by now, his spies can travel far faster than us. He'll have time to think his decision over. But, even though I could be riding to my death, I'm riding proud. Perhaps I'm a warrior at heart, ha, I sound like a rebel making a passionate speech. How ironic.

I could turn around and run. Find a portal to Earth and go into hiding, like so many others have done. Few in the castle would think ill of me because of it. But I know and always have known that I won't. I'm too proud, too damn _loyal _to do the smart thing.

For once I hate how cold I am, I'm sick of not feeling. When did the friendly, bookish teenager disappear?

I'm wise enough to know that it's stupid to run from death.

No, wait, I'm wise enough not to run from a friend, a _brother_.

Or what's left of him.

Phobos could feel the weight of his sword in his hand without quite believing it was there. Cedric, failed. Lord Cedric, the great perfectionist, lost. Anger coursed through the prince, how could five teenage girls, five children, cause so much trouble? He would deal with them himself. And Cedric- "Prince Phobos?" Another person's voice invaded Phobos' thoughts. Phobos looked up, his dagger like eyes searching out the intruder. "Yes, Rathor?" The soldier bowed,

"My prince, Lord Cedric has arrived." Phobos nodded, the handle of the sword slippery in his grip, for a moment, the Prince thought he was going to drop it. "Send him in."

"_He wants to go home, but nobody's home.  
It's where he lies, broken inside.  
With no place to go, no place to go to dry his eyes.  
Broken inside."_

**OOOHHH! So did Phobos kill Cedric? Well, make your mind up for yourself, because this is a one-shot. Get it? Got it? Good.**

**Please review. I don't like flames, but I love con-crit. If anyone else has a request send me a message, I've never turned down a request and as long as it's not Will/Matt I'll be only to happy to do it.**


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